In the summer of 2024, Georgia Democrat Ruwa Romman was blocked from endorsing Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention, as party leadership prevented any Palestinian from going on stage.
One year later, Romman is launching her bid to be her state’s next governor – and she spoke to Prem just hours after announcing her campaign.
“There seems to be this idea that if a candidate checks off a bunch of check marks as it relates to everything from identity to inside politics, whatever the case might be, then they are the best person to carry the mantel for the party. But what we are seeing is that the candidates currently in the field are struggling to gain traction,” Romman tells Prem about why she is jumping into the race.
Romman, 32, already made history by becoming the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia State House in 2022, and the first Palestinian elected to any public office in the state. Her latest bid seeks to make her the first Muslim governor ever elected in the US.
Asked about taking on the Trump administration as governor, Romman says: “I’m not out here looking for a fight, but when you have a Palestinian representing you, you’re never gonna have somebody who backs down from the fight.”
Romman joins a growing primary field with opponents including former Joe Biden adviser and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and former Republican lieutenant governor-turned Democrat Geoff Duncan. The candidates are vying to become the Democratic nominee in a state that has been led by a Republican for the past 22 years.
Last year, Romman was one of a few Palestinian-Americans that the Uncommitted Movement – a group that sought to push the party to shift policy on the US-backed Israeli genocide in Palestine – floated to speak at the DNC. She even prepared a speech to endorse Harris. Nevertheless, she and any other Palestinian voice were blocked, prompting Uncommitted organizers and DNC delegates to conduct a sit-in protest outside the convention hall, where she delivered her speech.
Romman describes her campaign as being focused on organizing and welcoming others into her tent, without watering down policy.
“Viral videos do not make movements. I cannot stress this enough: a viral video does not make a movement,” Romann says. “But the question is, what are you calling people to do through your videos? What are you calling them to do through the work that you are doing? And if you’re able to take that and build a pipeline of activism and engagement, that’s going to go a long way.”
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